Esther 15 - Do What is Right

The conflict between Mordecai and Haman presents a good lesson for us. It is apparent that at the beginning of the story Haman has been given much power from the king. He wanted people to bow before him and treat him as God. Mordecai refused to do this and Haman became very angry. Mordecai probably remembered the first commandment that God had given Moses in Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Mordecai’s refusal to bow before Haman led Haman to issue an edict that all the Jew’s should be killed. We know that God protected Mordecai and his people as later in the story Haman’s plot is exposed to the king and Haman is hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. Mordecai is honored and actually receives from the king the power that Haman had.

In the middle of that story we see another incident. Mordecai learned that a couple of men were plotting to kill the king. He was able to get word to the king and these two men were caught and killed. That could have been a dangerous thing to do because if he had not been believed and they had not been punished, they may have attacked him.

I would like to remind you one more time of Esther’s actions as she exposed Haman’s plot to the king. She risked her life doing that and the consequences could have been severe.

Each of these situations bring out the point that we should do what is right and let God take care of the circumstances. You will be faced with many choices in life and will be tempted often to take the easy way out. My counsel to you is to pray about what God wants you to do in those situations and then have the courage to do what is right. You can be confidant of God’s protecting hand if you act in His will. He may allow testing to give you an opportunity to mature, but He will protect you through that testing. I’m reminded of I Cor. 10:13 which says “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”